MISENHEIMER, N.C. – Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Cameron Sealey (Gastonia, NC) scored a game-high 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the 22nd-ranked Bears held off a late second-half rally to defeat the Pfeiffer Lady Falcons 64-54 in non-conference women’s basketball action on Saturday night inside the Merner Gym. The win marks the seventh-straight by Lenoir-Rhyne improving to 7-1 overall while the Lady Falcons suffer their first home setback falling 2-4.

Four lead changes in a four-minute span halfway through period number one set the tone for the final 30 minutes of play. After Devona Knight (Woodbridge, VA) knocked down a jumper to knot the contest at 14-14 with 10:09 remaining, the Bears fought back for a 16 all tie on a field goal a minute later by Denise Moore (Newport News, VA). Down one with five minutes to go, Brittany Cox (Winston-Salem, NC) would drain a field goal of her own to give the Lady Falcons a brief one point lead. Lenoir-Rhyne quickly closed out the opening half on a 10-2 run, thanks to a Precious Elkins (Conyers, GA) bucket with 16 seconds remaining, for a 33-26 visitors lead at the break.

Six minutes into the second half, Brittany Mitch (McLean, VA) gave Lenoir-Rhyne its biggest lead of the night completing a three-point play for a 46-33 advantage. A layup by Sealey extinguished a mini-rally by Pfeiffer midway through the second before a Domonique China (Durham, NC) steal and layup, along with a layup by Kellie Rhoney (Catawba, NC) cut the Bears lead to one, 54-53, with 4:43 to go in the game. Three free throws by the L-R gave them a four-point lead before Amber Holt (Charlotte, NC) delivered the knockout blows with a three-ball and layup with just under two minutes to play.

An evenly played contest saw the Bears shoot 37% from the floor while the Falcons shot 36%. Both teams hit at 31% from behind the three-point line while Pfeiffer held the advantage from the charity stripe 73% to 65%. Lenoir-Rhyne out rebounded the hosts 40-39 while the Lady Falcons committed four more crucial turnovers.

In addition to Sealey’s double-double, Holt also ended up in double-digits with 14 points on the night. The Lady Falcons were led by Cox’s 13. Pfeiffer will play its final game in the 2009 portion of their schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Falcons will travel to Newberry in a 2:00 p.m.